Edinburgh Running - Arthur's seat

So here at Edinburgh Running our whole aim is to help you get the most from your running. If you are an experienced runner or a complete novice I want you to enjoy your running in this great city and get the most out of your personal goals. With that in mind I will be updating you on some of my favourite runs I have done in Edinburgh and would love feedback from you on runs you enjoy or how you find my routes. The beauty of running is of course that you can take time to reflect on the day or set yourself up for the day ahead and have some peaceful time to enjoy, a big plus in the hectic real world! So I have tried to pick routes that are visually stunning or mentally challenging for you to get your teeth into.



So today we will look at Arthur’s seat. This has to be one of my all time favourite places to run and if this is your first or 100th run in Edinburgh I am certain you will enjoy the experience of running this great route. At a distance of just over 5k it also lends itself to being the perfect training run as you can very easily and accurately gauge the distance you have run (something that comes in very handy in endurance training!). Arthur’s seat itself rises to 823ft at its peak and offers amazing views out across the city, thankfully the run doesn’t climb all that way up but it still climbs enough to give you some great views and a welcome background for your run.



Arthur’s seat is an extinct volcano and has been part of the Edinburgh landscape since long before the city arrived here, making it a great place to run. The main road around the hill is tarmac and very well maintained also making it perfect for running. This is by no means and easy 5k and I would recommend you do at least a few 5k’s on flatter roads before making the step up to this. The other local runners (of which there are many) are for the most part very friendly and almost always have the customary "hello" waiting for fellow runners here. You can enter Holyrood Park from either Meadowbank, Holyrood or Salisbury and take your run from there; there is car parking near Holyrood and also at the Meadowbank side if you are travelling from further afield.



The 2 main options when running this hill are clockwise or anticlockwise and everyone has their preferred route. If you run clockwise you will have a steep and shorter uphill section followed by a more gradual downhill as you come past Salisbury (for views this is the better option in my book). Alternatively if you run anti-clockwise you will be faced with a longer gradual climb and a short but quick downhill section. The only thing to remember is that if you run Arthur’s Seat regularly then please remember to alternate occasionally on the way you run to ensure you don’t overwork one side of your body from the angle you’re running, otherwise you may find muscular problems ensue.



So that’s it folks. Arthur’s Seat. Give it a run and let me know how you find it.



http://www.edinburghrunning.co.uk/Arthur's%20Seat.pdf



http://www.edinburghrunning.co.uk/2011/06/10/arthurs-seat



http://www.edinburghrunning.co.uk